


Loss and Gain

by SomethingNeverComes



Category: Divergent Series - Veronica Roth
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-05-11
Updated: 2016-05-12
Packaged: 2018-06-07 20:37:40
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 16,065
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6823105
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SomethingNeverComes/pseuds/SomethingNeverComes
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>What happens when Tris needs to start over?  Who will help her move on?  How will she cope?  NO WAR  First posting, sorry about a few typos.  practicing character development for a class</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Shattered

Eric’s table was littered with papers stacked neatly in rows. Three years’ worth of papers. Max was seated at the breakfast bar currently going over one of the last stacks left to be sorted. The two of them were organizing and reviewing Tris’ leadership training paperwork and making notes here or there. The oldest Dauntless leader was finally stepping down. Max had confided in Eric that he wanted Tris to be the front runner amongst the candidates because he thought that the two of them would balance the rest of the group well. They were both young enough to hold the positions for a long time to come. 

The three of them have gotten along really well over the last couple of years. Max had done all the faction relation training with Tris for the first 18 months and then Eric had taken over the rest of the in house training. Eric had learned that Tris had caught on fast and moved through rather difficult tasks rather quickly. Eric had actually come to enjoy training her. She was still feisty and kept him on his toes. She had also gotten her friends to be somewhat friendly when he was around. He still hated Four and Four still hated him, but for the most part they just ignored each other.

“She only has two weeks of history left and then her three months of physical, sparing and weapons training. She should be able to step up in about four months. She should excel at the physical training,” Eric told Max remembering how hard she had worked as an initiate. 

“I’m surprised that you are praising her so highly,” Max commented with a questioning look.

“I don’t have a problem with Tris, just with Four.” Max chuckles at Eric’s words. “He’s just so…so goddamn broody.”

“Well then it must be fun being their neighbor. Two Abnegation have to be pretty quiet though?”

“It is relaxing,” Eric admits while chuckling. “I never hear as much as a whimper from over there. My old neighbors loved to fight loud and fuck louder.” Eric chuckled while he crossed to the kitchen to grab the bottle of whiskey from the counter. “When do you want to tell her about the advancement?”

“Well definitely not tonight. I overheard her telling Dana that it’s Four’s birthday and she was making him a surprise dinner. She was going on and on about an old cookbook that had recipes she had never seen.”

“I lent it to her last week.”

Max and Eric continued looking through the pile and commented here and there before moving on to the next pile. Eric was pouring them both another drink when a pounding on the wall next door broke their conversation. Besides the knocking against the wall they heard load moaning coming through.

“So much for not a peep, huh?” Max smirked at Eric.

“I didn’t think Four had it in him. I am going to love teasing her about this.” The moaning was picking up and growing loader. “Let’s just go to office and finish up. I’m not gonna be able to concentrate now.”

They grabbed the stacks of papers from the table and made their way to the hall. After Eric locked his door he turned and walked straight into Max’s back almost losing all the paperwork. When Eric looked past Max he was shocked. Walking towards them was Tris. She was struggling to free her keys from her pocket while carrying a casserole dish, a gift box and a bottle of whiskey. She looked up at them and smiled.

“Hello there, oh fearless leaders,” she said with a smile from ear to ear.

“Shit,” Max muttered as he glanced at Tris’ door. He looked to Eric who was wearing a grimace on his face. Max turned back to Tris with pity in his eyes.

“What is wrong with you two?” 

Before they could answer they heard the scraping of metal against concrete through the door, followed by loud moaning. Tris took a step away from the door with a shocked look on her face.

“Oh, fuck Four, you are so deep.”

“God baby, I love your sweet little pussy. Fuck, turn around.”

“Oh God, Four don’t stop, don’t stop, I love you Tobias.”

“Fuck baby, I love you too, so much.”

Eric looked at Tris who was just frozen looking at her door. She glanced up at Eric with unshed tears in her eyes.

“Here Max, surprise Dana with dinner,” she shoved the dish into Max’s hands. “For your set,” she told Eric handing him the gift box. 

She took one last look at the door and turned and walked down the hall clutching the bottle of whiskey to her chest. They watched her until she disappeared around the corner. Max looked over to Eric and saw his face glued to their door.

“What a fucking asshole,” Eric said looking at Max.

“I agree.”

They continued on their way to Eric’s office and Max called his wife to come meet them for dinner and to also bring plates and forks. Eric opened the gift box and saw a row of silver throwing daggers with the Dauntless logo engraved on each tip. They were deadly and stylish. There was a note but Eric didn’t want to read her words that were meant for Four. It seemed wrong to invade her like that.

After a long and silent walk they arrived at Eric’s office. Dana had arrived shortly after and the three of them immensely enjoyed Tris’ homemade pot pie. It was delicious. Sweet peas, juicy chicken, flaky pastry crust. They had chatted and guessed about who had been in the apartment with Four. Neither Max nor Eric had recognized the voice. Dana expressed concern about what would happen to Tris if she went home. As Max and Dana chatted about something Eric was also worried for Tris. He knew she was strong, but what would Four say to her? Would he weasel his way back in? He knew she was too good to say with a cheater, but did she know that?

While they were winding down dinner and cleaning up they heard glass shattering followed by a pained sob from down the hall. Peeking his head out the door Eric noticed that the light in Tris’ office was on. He heard more glass crunching and told Max and Dana he would take care of it. He walked to her office door and stood there watching her. She was holding the half empty whisky bottle in one hand and staring at a shattered photo hanging on the wall. She had silent tears streaming down her face. She gently swayed back and forth. She had yet to notice Eric standing in the door way. She suddenly punched the frame again and then again.

“Fuck” Tris said dropping the whiskey and clutching her hand. She slowly dropped to the floor while soft sobs escaped her lips.

Eric quickly passed to her and kneeled down. She met his eyes and the tears continued to silently fall. She remained silent while he took her hand gently noticing the slivers of glass embedded into her swollen knuckles. He stood up never dropping his eyes from hers and offered her his other hand. She looked into his for a few minutes before she took his hand and stood up on wobbly legs. Eric broke eye contact and looked at the photo she had smashed with her tiny fist. It was a photo of her and Four taken at her initiation. They weren’t posing, just looking at each other and smiling. Eric laughed to himself and walked her back through the hall pausing briefly at his office door.

“Max, Tris and I are going to take tomorrow off and have a three day weekend.” Max regarded Tris for a moment, noticed the blood dripping from her hand and nodded at Eric.

Eric led them down a maze of corridors until they reached their floor and were in front of his apartment. Once inside, he led her to a kitchen stool and helped her up on it. He grabbed two glasses from the cupboard and his bottle of whiskey. He poured two generous portions and slid a glass towards her. She finished her glass quickly and pushed it back to him. He refilled her glass and slid it back. She has still yet to speak but her tears had stopped falling. She just looked empty. Eric went down the hall into the bathroom and grabbed a wash rag, tweezers and a healing salve. When he returned to the kitchen she had her arm resting on the bar top with her head laying in the nook it created. He took a seat next to her and gently took her injured hand in his. He slowly worked with the tweezers and starting to remove the shards of glass form her knuckles. He worked slowly to make sure that he got every little piece. He then took the damp rag and wiped away the blood. He gently rubbed the salve all over her fingers and knuckles checking again to make sure all the glass was gone. When he was finished he looked at her and she was fast asleep.

He picked her up and walked her over to the couch. He laid her down and took her boots off followed by her socks. He went to his bedroom and grabbed a pillow and a blanket off his bed. He placed the pillow under her head and covered her with the blanket. He went back and cleaned up the glass and rinsed the wash rag. He was worried about how much pain her hand would have in the morning. After setting a glass of water on the table in front of the couch he slumped into his armchair and watched her sleep. At least he could stop worrying about her for a few hours.


	2. Free Fall

Tris woke up and instantly regretted allowing the morning light to hit her eyes. She groaned and threw the blanket over her face. She pushed her head further into the pillow and took a deep breath. The blanket smelled of bay rum and coffee, definitely not what Tobias smelled like. The events of the previous evening came back to her and she realized that she was in Eric’s apartment. She did not remember falling asleep, but she remembered Eric taking care of her hand. She took another deep breath and threw the blanket off. Sitting up she heard movement coming from the kitchen.

“Morning Stiff,” Eric said carrying in two cups of coffee and setting one in front of her.

“Thanks,” she mumbled and reached for the coffee. They sat in silence for a while as she enjoyed the very strong coffee.

“So, since we have the day off I thought we could go for a run?” Eric said finally breaking the silence.

“Okay, can we eat first? My stomach feels a little queasy,” she asked while sipping her coffee.

“Yeah, finish your coffee and we can go.”

Tris took her coffee and headed to the bathroom. Glancing in the mirror she noticed her hair was disheveled and she has mascara plastered on her under eyes. She sighed and turned the sink on.

“There are was clothes in the second drawer,” Eric said through the door. She grabbed one and washed up. She ran her hands through her hair and pulled it up in to a loose bun. She came out of the bathroom and went back to the couch. She pulled on her socks followed by her shoes. She started to examine her hand that was lightly throbbing and noticed the cuts were healing faster than she would have thought. Her knuckles were still swelling and the bruises had started to show. Eric came out of the bedroom off the dining room carrying a box loaded with hand guns, knives and cleaning kits.

“I couldn’t put you in the guest room last night. I had all this shit laid out on the bed,” he told her.

“The couch was fine. Thanks Eric,” she said looking him straight in the eye. “Seriously Eric, thank you. I don’t think I can go back there.”

“I know. It’s not a problem. You can stay here for a few days until we get a new place for you figured out.” Tris nodded at him. “Let’s go eat.”

As they were walking down the corridors Eric pulled out his keys and removed one from the ring handing it to her. As they walked in silence she couldn’t think of anything but Tobias. How many lies had he told her? How many times did he cheat? How many girls? Was she not good enough? Did she give him enough? Why would he do this?

“After our run, Four will be working, so we can go get your stuff,” Eric said breaking the silence.

“Okay Eric, you are starting to freak me out. You are never this nice to me. Not that I’m complaining, but why are you being friendly?”

“Well, we’re friends right?” He asked. She didn’t reply right away.

“I spend more time with you and Max than anyone else. I know you guys like to tease me and stuff but you are probably my closest friend right now,” she said as a blush rises to her cheeks.

“Well, there’s your answer,” he said with a chuckle. “Your one of my closest friends too and I have far fewer friends than you.”

They made their way into the Pit and grabbed some food before they headed over to join Max, Zeke and Uriah at a table. Tris sat across from Max, next to Uriah while Eric sat on her other side.

“Hey Trissy,” Uriah said nudging his shoulder into hers.

“Hey Uri. Morning Zeke.”

Max and Eric started up a conversation about the upcoming choosing ceremony and who will make the speech from Dauntless this year. Zeke and Uriah were joking with each while Tris just pushed food around her plate taking the occasional bite. She let out a long deep sigh.  
“Tris, don’t worry, he’s an idiot,” Max said and Tris’ eyes flew up and met his. She instantly had tears that threatened to fall and dropped her shoulders and gazed back to her plate.

“Who’s an idiot Trissy? I’ll beat their ass for you if you tell me. Zeke will help too, right bro?” Uriah says to Tris, and she couldn’t help but let the tears drop. She brushed them away and straightened her spine. She hadn’t done anything wrong and she refused to show her pain to the entire faction. She was brave after all.

“Yeah Tris, what’s wrong?” Zeke asked.

As she was trying to find the words to explain she saw Four enter the Pit, his eyes scanned over the tables. She put one hand on Eric’s knee and the other hand on Uriah’s knee and squeezed a little bit harder than she meant to.

“Shit Tris, what the...” Uriah said spitting food out of his mouth.

“Don’t you fucking move Uri, I’m serious. Do not scoot over or stand up,” he nodded at her with wide eyes. “You either Eric.”

“Tris, Jesus Christ, where the hell have you been? You scared the shit out of me,” Four asked coming to stand in front of her but behind Max. Zeke glanced back and forth between her and Four.

“So Eric, can we get going for our run now? I’m not hungry after all,” Tris said as she turned towards Eric ignoring Four. Eric just shrugged and finished his last bite.

“Tris, answer me, where were you last night? It was my birthday and you didn’t come home,” Four said with anger in his voice.

“Asshole,” Max mumbled under his breath. Eric slid his empty tray under her mostly full one. They stood and were getting ready to start walking.

“Were you with him last night?” Four asked and Tris stopped in her tracks. “Oh my God, you were, weren’t you? What the hell Tris? Did you fuck him?” his voice still rising.  
Her rage threated to bubble over and everyone in the area was staring at her. She glanced at Eric and he raised an eyebrow at her. She stood tall and thought of what she was going to say to Four. He had just embarrassed her in front of most of Dauntless. She turned around to face Four and took a few steps towards him. Now or never she thought.

“I thought maybe leaving you alone with your ‘guest’ could be your birthday present,” she told him while she crossed her arms over her chest and cocked her head to the side. She took two more steps towards Four and his eyes widened just a bit.

“What guest?”

“You know,” another step, she dropped the volume of her voice, “the one that you were fucking in our kitchen?” His eyes went wide and he opened his mouth to speak but nothing came out. “That’s what I thought. I’ll get my stuff while you are work later. Goodbye Four.” She turned to leave and he grabbed her shoulder.

“Beatrice, please I…” he couldn’t finish before she turned and punched him in the throat and then took his legs out from under him. He landed on his back and she put a foot on his chest.

“Oh shit,” Uriah squealed.

“You don’t get to touch me anymore. And my name is Tris. You always forget that I’m not a sweet, innocent, naive Abnegation girl anymore, I’m Dauntless. If you wanted out you should have been brave enough and man enough to tell me, or did you forget *we believe in facing fear no matter what the cost to our comfort, our happiness or our sanity. Stay away from me Tobias.”

She removed her foot from his chest and joined Eric who was smiling at her. Together they turned their backs on Four and started to leave the Pit when they heard commotion at the table.

“Did you really fuck somebody else in your guys’ apartment?” Zeke asked.

Four just nodded. Zeke was up and out of his seat on top of Four and landed a few good punches before Uriah had to pull him off.

“What the fuck is wrong with you Four?” Uriah yelled while he dragged his brother into another corridor.

“Damn, Zeke is pissed,” Eric said.

“Well Zeke’s a good man. Plus he knows what it’s like to be cheated on. Remember Lana?”

“Ok Stiff, no gossip, let’s just run.”

“Sounds good to me.”

They took off, not really running a route, just taking turns here and there. Tris’ mind raced as she ran. She had made a list of stuff to make sure she grabbed from her apartment. She mentally went room to room. Clothes, toiletries, a few books. Not too much considering it was Four’s place to begin with. Eric sprinted ahead of her and came to a stop.

“We’re here,” he told her with a big grin on his face. He hadn’t mentioned that they had a destination planned.

She looked around and noticed they were standing in front of the Hancock building. The smile on her face stretched from ear to ear.

“Really?” she asked like an excited school girl.

“Yep, but we have to go down together. Safer since there won’t be anyone on the ground to catch you or up top to make sure you don’t fall off the side of a hundred story building. Still wanna go?” he smirked at her.

“Yes, please. I love it up there.”

“Okay, let’s go Stiff.”

After they made it to the top floor, Eric grabbed two of the harnesses from the trunk on the roof and climbed up to get them hooked up. He slid into his on his on his back and gestured for her so he could clip her in. She laid facing him so their chests were pressed together.

“Have you done this before?” Tris asked.

“Yeah, only without so may clothes on,” he winked at her. She chuckled and rolled her eyes at him. “Ready Stiff.” He didn’t give her time to respond he just pulled the release.

Tris didn’t feel anything but the drop. Nothing on her mind but the wind.


	3. New Room

It had been a week since Tris had moved into the guest room at Eric’s and they had fallen into a sort of routine. Tris showered while Eric made coffee. He showered while she made toast. They went to work. He did paperwork after dinner, while she crammed history into her head.

“I talked to Max today. There might be a problem with your housing,” Eric told her.

“What do you mean?”

“There are four guys coming back from extended fence duty. There are only two apartments available so they will probably bunk them together. I think you might be stuck here for a while,” he sighed going back to his papers.

“I can ask Christina and Will if I can crash on their couch for a while. I’m sure having me here in your space is getting annoying,” she told him.

“No Tris, it’s okay,” he told her.

She didn’t respond to him. She dove right back into the book she was almost finished with. Studying the history of Dauntless was really fascinating. She learned everything there is to know about Dauntless and the men and women who helped shape what it is today. Some of the statistics were really boring, but then there were stories written by guards about things that happened on the fence or in the factionless sections of the city. It made her blood race to read and visualize their renditions. She glanced at the clock and decided to head to bed. She went to the bathroom and washed her face and brushed her teeth. While brushing, she thought about how much changed in just a week. She lost her first love, had grown closer to the Pedrad boys and found comfort in Eric of all people. She hoped that Eric wasn’t getting to sick of her, they spent an awful lot of time together. She found it rather peaceful, but she didn’t want to suffocate him. His easy friendship had started to mean a lot to her. She needed to talk to him. She quietly made her way back to the living room.

“Can I talk to you for a minute?” She asked taking a seat next to him on the couch. He finished making some notes before looking at her.

“What’s up Stiff?”

“Well, I wanted to say thank you. I know I’ve said it a hundred time this week, but this,” she motions her hand back and forth between the two of them, “is the easiest friendship I’ve ever had. You don’t bombard me with questions about how I’m feeling, or tell me it’s better to talk about it. It’s just comfortable,” she stops and looks at him. He was staring at her with no emotion showing. “I just wanted to make sure that I’m not suffocating you. If you need me to clear out for a day or for the weekend just let me know. I’m afraid that you’ll just put up with me until you can’t anymore and you’ll blow up,” she says with a chuckle. She looked at him and was surprised to see a smile cross his lips. He narrowed his eyes and regarded her for a minute before he spoke.

“You aren’t suffocating me Stiff. You’re clean. You’re quiet. You cook. You are defiantly not the worst roommate I’ve had,” he told her. She let out a sigh of relief.

“Good.”

“Okay then, with that being said your physical and weapons training is coming up. Just a couple more months and you will be fully trained. I think you just should stay here. If I’m sick of you after training I’ll just get rid of you,” he told her with a smirk.

“Gee, thanks Eric,” she said knowing he was joking. She was relieved to not have to move again. She loved it here, in her room with the window that overlooked the chasm. She fell asleep every night to the sound of churning water.

“Whatever Stiff. Have you given any thought to your sparing list?” She had been wondering when he was going to bring that up. She had given a lot of thought, but could only come up with a few names, or ideas of the kind of people to put on the list. For part of her final training she would need to spar with ten people. She wouldn’t have to win every fight, but she had learned when studying that it was a way to show courage and earn the factions respect at the same time. She and Eric would get to train for two months before hand, but the last month it would be sparing battles. Apparently it was a big party every few days while the entire faction would watch.

“A lot actually. Two names I know for sure. Peter and Uriah.”

“Uriah I understand. He’s fast and smart. Why Peter? I thought you hated him?”

“I do, and he hates me. I know that he won’t hold back,” she said while cringing. She had a visual of her face in the mirror after they had fought as initiates.

“Makes sense. Okay, who else?”

“I don’t know. I guess just people who fight differently. Uriah is fast. Peter is relentless. I need to fight someone much larger than me. Then maybe someone my size. Someone sneaky. What do you think?” she asked him.

“I agree. Probably someone who has fought in actual combat would be good. I would love to see you see you kick Four’s ass again,” he said laughing.

“That didn’t really count. He wasn’t expecting it.”

“Doesn’t matter. The look on his face was enough,” he said reminiscing. “I’ll help you with the list.”

“Than…,” he cut her off with a finger to her lips.

“Stop saying thank you,” he told her. “I want to help you.” She smiled at him and got up to go to bed, while he went back to finishing his paperwork.

The following week Max and Eric beamed at Tris as she passed her faction history test, missing only two answers. Neither of them had done that well. Max had also spoken with the other two leaders, Harrison and Bernie, and Tris had the vote locked. She would officially be the next leader. Tris and Eric had worked on making her sparing list. So far they had seven names. Uriah, Peter, Tori and Lynn were Tris’ picks. Braxton, Darryl and Four were Eric’s. Three open spots and they were having a hard time choosing.

“What about some of the other leader candidates?” Tris asked plopping down next to Max during lunch.

“That will work,” Eric tell her from across the table. They are in silence for a while. Max eventually started talking about the men coming back from the fence. Max was thinking about offering one of them a promotion to train the initiates next year.

“Who do you have in mind?” Eric asked.

“Jason,” Max replied.

“Jason’s coming back?” Eric asked with a smile.

“Yeah, I forgot that you guys are friends,” Max said as Tris just chuckled. The two of them stared at her.

“What? I know Max and I are your friends, and I know you have acquaintances, but I’ve never met another one of your actual friends before,” Eric chuckled at her.

“I told you once I had far fewer friends than you,” he laughed towards her. “Definitely put Jason the sparing list. When will they be back?”

“Three weeks,” Max stated.

“Who else is coming back?” Tris asked.

“Drew, Gabe and Harper.”

“Peter will be happy to have his partner in crime back,” Tris said dryly. They finished lunch and Max went to his office for a meeting.

“Ready Stiff?” Eric asked.

“Yep. What are we starting with this afternoon?”

“I thought we should just get your weapons training out of the way. So today we will shoot. Probably start on targets and make our way up to moving targets,” he told her.

They entered the training room and crossed to the weapons closet. He extracted a couple of different guns. A rifle, a shotgun, and a handgun. While is placed the guns on the table, Tris went and drug a dummy over and pinned a target to its chest. She made her way back to Eric who handed her the handgun.

“Disassemble, reassemble, load and empty the clip. I’m going to time you. Remember, just because you’re being timed, don’t get sloppy.”

She walked over to the table and started to disassemble the gun. Once all the pieces were laid out she started to put it back together. She loaded the clip, took a calm and steady breath while aiming and unloaded on the target. All the bullets landed in the bullseye in a tight cluster. Tris looked over to Eric and gazed his reaction.

“Three minutes and twenty seven seconds.”

She walked to the target and put on a new target, walked back to the table and started all over again. By the end of the afternoon her time was down to one minute and eleven seconds for the handgun. The next few days flew by as she mastered the rifle and the shotgun. Eric had laid out a plan for the next couple of weeks.

“I don’t think we should wait to do your shooting course. I think we should get it out of the way sooner rather than later,” Eric told Tris when they were walking back to their apartment.

“I read that it’s done after sparing?” Tris asked.

“No rule against doing it before. I’ll talk to Max. We still have other weapons to train with first, but you’re a quick study.”

“What’s the course like? Does it have an audience like the sparing matches?” Tris asked curiously.

“Yes the entire faction can watch on screens in the pit. I had fun doing it. If you’re as good with the other weapons you’ll probably think it’s a blast.”

“Something to look forward to then,” she said as he unlocked the door. “I’m gonna change and go for a run. See you at dinner?” She asked and he nodded in response. She was out the door soon after relishing in her accomplishments and the compliments Eric had given her. She ran with a smile plastered to her face.


	4. Home Cooked

“Candor,” Eric yelled to Christina down the corridor. He had been searching for the little loud mouth all morning.

“What’s up Eric?”

“I need your help. I wanna throw a party Friday night. Nothing huge. Tris has her shooting course on Sunday so we should let loose before,” Eric told her.

“What do you need me to?” Christina asked.

“Invite some her friends. Uriah, Zeke, whatever girls you hang out with. Pretty much anybody besides Four,” he said which elicited a laugh from her.

“That’s perfect timing actually. Will’s friend has been dying to meet her. This way I can get her ready,” she smirked. She looked at Eric and he was scowling at her. “What?”

“Who’s Will’s friend?”

“Zach, from the control room,” she stated.

Eric didn’t know much about the guy. He definitely did not like the idea of Candor setting her up. Eric wasn’t sure what he was feeling at the moment, but there had been a shift in his feeling for Tris since last week. They had been throwing knives at moving targets and she turned to him laughing and smiling when she hit all the targets. They had locked eyes and he realized he didn’t want her to look away. Since then, whenever they were home or at work he would stare hoping to catch her eyes again. He knew he was falling for her and he did not like the thought of another guy ending up in her bed.

“Whatever Candor. Friday eight o’clock,” and he turned and walked away.

On the way back to offices, his mind kept wandering and thinking of Tris and all the reasons why he was enamored by her. Mostly he was attracted to her determination and drive. She had also been strutting around the apartment in her tiny shorts and sports bras a lot more lately. He went to Max’s office and found him and Tris with their feet up chatting and laughing. He decided he could listen to her laugh all day.

“Max, Stiff,” he greeted plopping down into the empty chair.

“Good, we were waiting for you,” Max said. “The guys from the fence will be back today and we have a small problem. The second apartment has plumbing problems so I was hoping I could have Jason crash with you through the weekend?” Max asked.

“Tris?” Eric asked her.

“Yeah, that’s fine with me. I’ll make us a nice dinner, kinda like ‘welcome home, sorry there’s no home to go to yet, here eat instead.’” She said chuckling.

“I’m sure he will appreciate it,” Max said.

“Ok, Stiff. Oh, I almost forgot to tell you, we’re throwing a party for you Friday night.”

“Why?” she whined.

“Cause your course is on Sunday and then we have to get ready for the sparring matches. Last chance to really let loose for a few months. I already talked to the Candor about it.”

“Eric, you know she is going to torture me for hours and pluck my eyebrows, right?” she groaned.

“Oh, I’m counting on it,” Eric winked at her.

After a few more jokes at her expense, she told them she was going to the store to pick up stuff for dinner. Eric went to his office to wait until it was time to go collect Jason. He replied to some emails and backed up his systems. Before he knew it, it was time to head to the roof to meet Jason, Drew, Gabe and Harper. As the first car of the train appeared, the guys inside starting to throw their gear out, following it soon after. They guys gathered up their stuff and Eric walked towards them.

“Hey brother,” Jason said walking up to Eric and grasping him on the back with a wide smile.

“So Gabe, Harper I’ve got some keys here for you. They have the apartment number on the tag. Hope you two don’t hate each other cause there is an apartment shortage at the moment.”

“Naw, we get along fine,” Harper said taking the keys. The two men took off through the door.

“So, kind of bad news. Your guy’s apartment won’t be ready until Monday. Drew I’ve got you staying with Peter. 408, left side of the Pit.” Drew nodded and took off. “You’re gonna stay with me and Tris.”

“You finally get a girl who can stand you for more than a week?” Jason said chuckling.

“No, not like that. She’s gonna be the next leader. Her ex cheated on her and she needed a place to stay. She’s my roommate now.” As he said it, he realized he hoped she was the girl that would stay.

“What’s she like?” Jason asked.

“Oh, she’s something else. Smart, funny, fearless,” Eric stated.

“Pretty?” Jason asked.

“Perfectly so,” Eric sighed, which earned him raised eyebrows from Jason. “Anyway, you’ll meet her in a few minutes. She’s making you dinner. What did she call it? A welcome home dinner even if there is no home yet.”

“So you know what I’ve been up too. What’s been keeping you busy?” Jason asked.

“Half my day is leadership duties, meetings and paperwork. The other half of the day I train Tris for her leadership role. You’re back just in time too, she has her weapons course on Sunday,” Eric told him.

“Man, I missed the sparring matches. That sucks. The month long party is awesome,” Jason groaned, making Eric laugh.

“Actually no, we decided to get it out of the way. She’s a natural. We’ll start sparring training next week,” he told Jason. “I put your name on the list.”

“Really? Does she move quickly? I’m fast,” Jason asked.

“She will after the advanced training,” Eric stated with confidence. When Jason looked at Eric he had a smile on his face. The whole time they were talking about Tris, Eric smiled. Jason had never seen him smile this much, he also had never heard him praise another person so much.

“Oh my God,” Jason said stopping in his tracks. “You’re in love with her!”

“What? No I’m…no…it’s not like…” Eric stuttered. He looked at Jason who had a shit eating grin on his face. “I’m not sure what it is.”

“Well brother,” Jason threw his arm around Eric’s shoulders and started walking again, “good thing I’m back.”

Eric shrugged his arm off and tuned down the hall to his apartment. As they neared the door they heard THUNK, followed a few seconds later by another THUNK. Eric rolled his eyes and stopped Jason from reaching for the knob. THUNK.

“Stiff,” Eric yelled through the door. “Stop, we’re coming in.” THUNK.

He turned the knob and they went inside. Tris was on the other side of the living room with knives in hand. When Jason closed the door he saw a piece of thick wood hung up with a target painted on it. All the knives were tightly clustered in the bullseye.

“Sorry, you told me to practice with my left,” she smiled and walked towards them. “Hi, I’m Tris.”

“Jason,” he said shaking her small hand. “Smells good in here.”

“Please tell me you made another one of the pot pies,” Eric said sniffing the air.

“Yeah, I never got to eat any of the last one. You and Max both went on about how good it was so…,” she frowned slightly at the memory. “Jason, you happy to be home?” She asked forcing a smile.

“God yes! Real bathrooms, good food, liquor,” he said spotting the bottle of whiskey on the counter. Tris chuckled.

“Dinner should be done in a few minutes, do you wanna go take a shower? I can start some laundry if you want?” she asked sweetly.

“You were right Eric, she is something else,” Jason said, throwing a wink at Eric. Tris blushed and took Jason’s laundry bag, while Eric looked daggers at Jason.

Tris started a load of laundry and went back to the kitchen. She quickly made a salad, she set the table, making sure to leave the whiskey near Jason’s seat. She grabbed the pot pie out of the oven and placed it in the center of the table.

“Okay guys, dinner is ready,” she called to them.

“Damn, this looks good,” Jason said with wide eyes. “Thank you so much Tris.”

They sat while she dished out their plates. She poured the two some whiskey and she stuck with her water. She took her first bite and understood why Max and Eric had loved it so much. During dinner they made small talk while Tris learned about Jason. He was a year older than Eric and also from Erudite. He had been promoted to Guard Captain the same time Eric had been chosen for leadership.

“Are you getting nervous for Sunday?” Eric asked her.

“No, more nervous for Friday night,” she scowled at Eric.

“What’s happening Friday?” Jason asked.

“Eric here thought it would be a good idea to torture me a party in my honor,” she said with a snip in her voice.

“Oh, come on Stiff, it will be fun.”

“Did you know Christina messaged me like fifteen times today? I had to turn my pad off. ‘Oh Tris, I found you this dress’ and ‘Oh I just found you some matching shoes’” Tris said, which earned a laugh from both guys. As they were settling back into their dinner there was a knock on the door. Eric made a motion to get up but Tris stopped him.

“I’ll get it. It’s probably Chris since I haven’t responded to her all day.” She went to open the door and took a step back, her smile faltered.

“Hello Four,” she said coldly.

“Hi Tris, you look great,” he said with a smile.

“What do you want?” she asked while she crossed her arms over her chest.

“I, well…” he stammered, “I was hoping maybe we could talk. Do you wanna go for a walk with me?”

“I’m kinda busy, what do you want to talk about?”

“Max told me you put my name on your sparring list.”

“Yeah, and?”

“I guess I just assumed that you were trying to break the ice,” Four told her. “I’ve really missed you.” Tris let out a long sigh.

“Look, Four, I don’t want to break the ice with you. Do you really think that we can be friends?” He didn’t respond to her, he had color flood his cheeks.

“Then why did you put me on the sparring list?” he demanded.

“I didn’t, it was Eric’s idea,” she stated. Four hung his head low before looking her in the eye.

“I don’t want to hurt you,” he told her. She laughed at him.

“It’s a little late for that, don’t you think? I mean I still see her leaving your apartment. Lizette right? The one with the sweet little pussy?” Jason choked on his whiskey behind her. Four had his lips pressed tight and was glaring at her. He went to leave and stopped to look at her.

“You know, maybe if you weren’t turning into a carbon copy of him, I wouldn’t have needed Lizette,” he sneered at her.

“I’d rather be like him than weak and cowardly like you.”

“Well you’re doing a good job. You’re turning into a real icy bitch Beatrice.” With that he turned and walked away.

She shut the door and dropped her hands which instantly balled into fists. Without really thinking, she grabbed the knives that were still lodged in the target, stormed into the living room and let them sail through the air. When she ran out of knives, she returned to her dinner. Eric and Jason stared at her.

“So, who else did you invite Friday?” Tris asked, all the rage erased from her features.

They both just laughed at her until she eventually had to join in.

“Ah Eric,” Jason said catching his breath, “she’s a keeper,” which earned a bright blush from Tris and Eric.

Their easy banter continued through dinner. Tris waved off their help with the dishes telling them to catch up. When the kitchen was clean and the laundry was in the dryer she went to the bathroom to get ready for bed. When she was about to exit the bathroom she could hear the guys talking from the living room.

“You better jump on it man. A girl like Tris won’t be available for long,” she heard Jason say. A girl like me? She thought.

“It’s complicated,” Eric said. Complicated? What was he talking about? She thought again.

“C’mon man, you said so yourself, she’s perfect,” Jason said to him. She couldn’t believe Eric had called her perfect. Her.

“Can we not talk about this right now?”

“Sure brother, whatever.”

Tris waited another minute before leaving the bathroom. She said goodnight to the guys and made her way to her bedroom. She crawled in bed but was not tired anymore. She couldn’t believe Eric had said those things about her. She had always found him attractive. Scary, but attractive. She had to kiss him once, years ago, during a game of Candor or Dauntless. At the time she was with Four and she had not wanted to kiss him. Now her brain couldn’t think of anything else but his lips. She tried to remember what they felt like but she couldn’t. After a while of imagining all sorts of things about Eric, she let sleep claim her, and her dreams took over.


	5. Be Brave

Tris had finished her work for the day and she had plenty of time to head down to the training room before lunch. She wanted to practice a little more while running and throwing the knives at targets. She really just wanted an excuse to keep avoiding Christina. She had been driving Tris crazy. Christina kept telling her it was time to move on and that she should find somebody new. She was not interested at all in what Christina had to say, unless Christina could help her figure out what to do about Eric. She couldn’t trust Christina enough to tell her though. They had been friends for over three years, but Christina, being from Candor could never keep her mouth shut. She supposed she could talk to Uriah. He had always kept her secrets, even from Zeke. She glanced at the clock on the wall and headed for lunch. When she walked into the corridor she saw Uriah up ahead with a group of guys.

“Uri,” she called to him. He looked over his shoulder and smiled.

“Hey Trissy,” he said.

“Can I talk to you for a minute? In private.”

“Yeah, sure,” he smiled at her. “Is something wrong?” he asked as they walked into an empty corridor.

“I need your advice on something, and it has to stay between us, okay?”

“Cross my heart,” he said seriously.

“Um…well I need to know how to let a guy know I’m interested in him,” she said with a blush on her face.

“Do you know if he’s interested in you? Has he been flirting?”

“No, not flirting, I don’t think so anyway. I overheard him talking the other night and I’m pretty sure he’s interested.”

“It’s Eric, isn’t it?” he asked and her eyes went wide.

“How did you know that?”

“C’mon, I’ve seen the way he has been looking at you,” Uriah laughed and nudged her. “Plus you guys spend every waking moment together. Literally. You live, work and train together.”

“So what should I do?”

“Flirt with him. Touch him when you talk to him. Of course, you could always just be brave and tell him,” he winked. Tris smiled at him. He was right, she needed to be be brave.

“I say that in my head all the time. Be brave. You’re right Uri. Thank you,” she said and wrapped him in a hug.

“Let’s go, I want cake,” he said seriously leading her to the Pit.

They grabbed their food and dropped into some seats at the table with Zeke, Jason, Eric and Max. Uriah winked at her when she sat next to Eric and she blushed. She looked up from her plate and grimaced at the sight of Christina looking around the tables. She groaned and dropped her head to the table.

“What’s wrong with you?” Max asked.

“Christina is looking for me,” she whined.

“Did you two have a fight or something?” Zeke asked.

“No it just…it’s Friday which means she is gonna tell me she knows some guy she wants to set me up with tonight at the party.”

Everybody, except Eric, smiled and chuckled a little.

“It’s not funny,” she said seriously, which made them laugh harder. She looked at Eric and his eyes were clear and cold.

“Tris, there you are. I’ve been looking everywhere for you,” Christina said skipping over to their table. Uriah laughed and Tris kicked him in the shin.

“Fuck Tris, that hurt,” he complained.

“So, I’ll be over at 6:30 to get you ready for tonight,” Christina said but Tris knew she had more to say.

“And?” she said sighing.

“Well, don’t get mad or punch me or anything, but I had Will invite a guy I want you to meet.”

“Chris, I already told you…”

“Yeah, yeah, I know. You don’t want me to set you up. Come on Tris, this guy is nice and cute and really sweet. I think it’s time to move on,” Christina glanced over her shoulder and said, “He obviously has.”

Tris turned and saw Lizette curled up against Four’s side. She let out a sigh and turned back to Christina.

“I just think…” Christina started before Tris held up her hand.

“Well stop. I don’t want you to set me up with anyone. I’m not interested in someone who is so weak he had to go through you. When, and if, I am interested in someone I’ll be brave enough to do it on my own,” she said to her. Tris glanced at Uriah and he winked at her. She looked back to Christina who looked a little hurt, and she went back to her lunch. The rest of the meal passed in awkward silence. Tris got up and started to turn to leave.

“Tris, I’m sorry. I’ll quit bugging you.”

“Thanks Chris. See you at 6:30?” Tris asked.

“You still want me to get you ready?”

“If you promise not to try to auction me off again?” she smirked at her friend.

“I promise.”

Tris had a couple of hours to kill before her torture began, she decided to clean up around the apartment. She started in the living room, grabbed all of Jason’s bags and took them to Eric’s room. She went across the hall to the bathroom and scrubbed. She decided to make a quick dinner so she and the guys could eat before the liquor stated flowing. She had started to toast the bread when she heard the door open and the guys come in.

“I made BLT’s for dinner and Jason I put all your stuff in Eric’s room for the night,” she told them. They came in and grabbed a sandwich each.

“While Candor is here getting you ready, I’ll run to the Pit and grab everything else we need,” Eric told her. Jason thanked her for dinner and went to take a shower. Tris had started to clean up from dinner and Eric rummaged around in cupboards. Be brave, she told herself.

“I’m gonna head out,” Eric said taking a step towards the door.

“Eric,” she reached out and grabbed his hand. He turned to look at her. “Thank you for doing this for me. It will be nice to let loose.”

“No problem Stiff.”

Before he could turn to leave she stood on her toes and kissed his cheek. She pulled back slowly and he turned his head towards her. He stared into her eyes and put a hand on her hip. He was leaning down to her when there was a knock on the door. He pulled back from her and dropped his hand with a sigh.

“Later,” he told her and turned to get the door. When he opened it Christina came in carrying a dress and a large bad.

“Hey Eric. Hey Tris, you ready for me,” she smiled at her. Tris caught Eric’s eyes as he was leaving and he winked at her.

An hour later Tris was dressed in a sexy pair of lacy boy shorts and to her disappointment, no bra. Her dress had a deep drop in the back and can just above the knee. It was a red lace that highlighted her chest and small waist. She humored Christina by putting on the shoes hoping she could kick them sooner rather than later. She had curled her hair and applied a small about of makeup.

“Go look at yourself in the bathroom mirror,” Christina told her.

She walked through her bedroom door and noticed the kitchen was stocked with liquor bottles, ice, beer and some cut fruits. Jason was sitting on the couch and let out a long whistle when he saw her.

“Shit, you look good in red,” he said.

“Thanks,” she said blushing. “So I was thinking, since you’ve been gone awhile, if you find a girl tonight you should take Eric’s room.”

“Where would Eric go?” he said smirking at her knowingly.

“It think I can manage space for him,” she winked at him. He chuckled at her as she walked to the bathroom. She stood in front of the mirror. Christina made her look great. Not too much, just enough to enhance her eyes and lips. She smiled at her own reflection and turned to leave the room. Eric stood in his bedroom doorway staring at her. Their eyes met and he smiled wide.

“You look great Tris,” he told her.

“Not too shabby yourself Eric.”

They walked side by side back to the living room and the door opened. In came Zeke, Uriah, Marlene and Lynn.

“Ooh, Tris, you look so pretty,” Marlene gushed.

“Thanks, you too.”

Awhile later the party was in full swing. Drinks were flowing, the music was loud and people were dancing and playing card games. Tris didn’t know half the people in the room, but she was having a great time. She was standing in the kitchen when someone bumped into her and a pair of warm hands helped her steady herself. She looked up and Eric was smirking at her. After she had righted herself he kept one hand on the small of her back. She blushed and smiled up at him. He nodded over her shoulder to where people were dancing. She saw Jason getting really cozy with a girl she didn’t know. She leaned up to Eric’s ear.

“I told Jason he could take your room if he found a girl tonight,” she whispered to him. He pulled back to look at her, his eyes held a question.

“Where I am going to sleep?” he asked with a smile.

“I told him I’d make some room for you,” she said sweetly. He scraped his fingernails over the exposed skin of her back, she shivered. He noticed the goosebumps form under his hands and he chuckled.

“Trissy, I’m dragging you away to dance with me and I won’t take no for an answer,” Uriah said grabbing her hand and dragging her away from Eric. She looked over her shoulder at him and he had his eyes narrowed on Uriah. Uriah pulled her in close and moved her slowly to the music.

“What the hell Uri, didn’t you see I was with Eric?” Tris asked.

“That’s why I did it,” he whispered in her ear. “The way he is glaring me right now, you won’t be dancing with me for long.” He slid his hand up and down her back.

“Is he still staring at us?” she asked.

“Yep, and now he is on his way over. You can thank me later Trissy,” he smiled at her.

“Pedrad, beat it,” Eric growled at Uriah.

“Sure boss,” he said winking at Tris.

Uriah headed back to the kitchen to join in the card game. Eric pulled Tris flush against him and slid both hands down to her waist gripping onto her hips. She put one hand on his shoulder and rested the other on his chest.

“Pedrad looked like he was getting a little too close for my liking,” Eric told her. She looked up and they locked eyes.

“I think that was his intention,” she told him. “To see if you would get jealous.”

“Well, he accomplished his mission,” he whispered in her ear.

His breath sent chills down her spine and she moved both hands up to lock them behind his neck. Her fingertips playing with the hair at the base of his neck. He moved a hand to the small of her back and pulled her even closer to him. She laid her head on his shoulder.

“Why would Uriah want to make me jealous?” he asked her, his fingertips making small designs on the open skin of her back.

“I asked for his advice today, and I think he was just continuing our conversation,” she said blushing.

“What did you ask him?”

“Well, I…” she shuttered. Be brave she told herself. “I asked him how to let a guy know I was interested in him,” he looked at her with a raised eyebrow.

“Really? What did the doofus tell you to do?”

“Be brave and just tell him. He also said touching him while I talked to him was good too,” she said moving a hand back down to his chest. They locked eyes and continued to dance.

“Think I can convince Uriah and Zeke to take the party to their place?” he asked her.

“If you let them take the booze,” she said and chuckled.

“I’ll be right back.”

He left her standing in a corner in the living room, while he dragged the boys off to a quiet corner. She turned around to head into the kitchen and was stopped by a guy with sandy blonde hair.

“Hi Tris, I’m Zach. Will’s friend,” he smiled at her. She groaned internally and tried not to scowl at him.

“You having a nice time?” she asked with a forced smile.

“Better now. I’ve been waiting to catch you without Eric around,” he told her. “Between you and me, he scares the shit out of me,” he laughed. Good, she thought.

“I’m gonna get a drink,” she said and took a step, but he blocked her path.

“I was kind of hoping that you’d want to dance with me?” he asked. She didn’t want to dance with him.

“Well, um, I…” she started but was cut off by the music dying.

“Okay panseycakes, C and D in our apartment. I’ve got ideas that include flour and I’m sure Tris and Eric already have enough to clean up,” Zeke yells throwing a wink at Tris. People had started heading to the door but Zach didn’t leave.

“Do you want to walk with me Tris?” he asked.

“Actually we need to stick behind a minute, but we’ll be there soon,” Eric said standing behind Zach.

“Oh, okay sure,” Zach said. “I’ll see you in a few then,” he said making his way to the door.

Eric followed him and slammed and locked the door. He turned around, eyes locked on hers. He crossed the space between them and stopped in front of her. He reached and hand behind her back and pulled her closer, while she put both her hands behind his head. His other hand cupped the back of head and pulled her to his lips. He kissed her sweetly as his hand fisted in her hair. Her tongue grazed his lower lip and he opened his mouth and their tongues danced together. Her hands moved to his chest as he deepened the kiss which elicited a soft moan from her, which spurred him on. He moved the hand down her lower back until he cupped her small back side. She pulled away from the kiss breathing hard, he worried and moved his hand back up.

“I’m sorry, I…” he started but she cut him off with another passionate kiss. Be brave she said again to herself.

“Please don’t be sorry, I just wanted to tell you that I am starting to have really strong feeling for you,” she said blushing and dropped her eyes.

“Really?” he asked and she nodded. “That’s good,” he said and she looked up. “Me too.”

He attacked her lips again slipping his tongue into her mouth. She threw her arms around his neck and nipped on his bottom lip. He growled into her mouth before he moved his lips down her neck and nipped on her collarbone. His fingertips were running up and down her arms making goosebumps pop up all over her body. She shivered and moaned beneath him, her breathing picked up.

“Eric,” she said breathlessly.

“Mmmm,” he moaned into her neck.

“Take us to the bedroom now,” she said. He pulled back and looked into her eyes.

“Are you sure?”

“I’ve never been more sure,” she said pulling him into a kiss. He leaned down and placed both of his hands the back of her thighs and picked her up. She wrapped her legs around his waist, and he turned to the bedroom.

He stopped inside the bedroom door and she played with the hem of his shirt. He set her on her feet and she pushed his shirt up and over his head. She kicked off her shoes and Eric kissed her. His hand slid from her face to gently cup her left breast and she ran her fingernails down his back. He moved his hands lower and gripped the hem of her dress lifting up over her head. He looked down and saw her perky breasts and took one in his mouth sucking and licking her nipple. He moved her closer the bed until the back of her knees hit the mattress and he pushed her back. She scooted to the middle of the bed while he stared upon her.

“You are so beautiful,” he said as he climbed on top of her.

He kissed her under her ear working his way down her neck to her collarbone. Reaching down she quickly had his belt undone and unbuttoned his pants pulling down his zipper. She groaned as his mouth left her breat and his body stood up. He stood at the edge of the bed and stripped himself of his pants and boxers. She took in the sight of him and her eyes went wide. She had only seen one naked man before and Eric didn’t look anything like Four.

He kneeled on the bed in front of her and hooked his fingers under her panties and pulled them off. He threw them to the floor and ran his rough hands up her smooth thighs. One hand went between her legs and fingers ran up and down her folds. She whimpered beneath him, her breathing ragged. He slipped a finger between her folds and she gasped when if found her bundle of nerves. His other hand was gently pinching one of her nipples. His finger moved in circles on her clit as he pushed a finger inside her.

“Eric, feels so good,” she moaned.

He added another finger and pumped faster until he felt her walls start clamping around his fingers. He fell forward and took a hard nipple is his mouth pumping his fingers faster while she rode out her climax. He withdrew his fingers and moved his mouth from her nipple up her neck to nibble on her ear.

He was grasping himself with one hand, running his tip up and down her entrance. He let out a breathy moan when he pushed into her an inch at a time until he was fully sheathed in her. She let out a moan and he began to move slowly in and out, picking up the pace as her moans got louder.

“Perfect,” he groaned while he kissed her.

“Eric, please don’t stop,” she moaned and dug her fingernails into his shoulders. He pushed her knees farther up towards her chest and he was deeper than before. She yelled his name and he started to build more speed with each thrust. He took a nipple between his teeth and bit down. She cried out and he felt her walls tighten around him.

“Oh fuck Tris, that feels so good,” he said, his head falling between her breasts as he moved harder and faster towards his own release.

She could feel him twitching inside her and he collapsed on top of her, kissing everywhere he could. He rolled them and pulled her face towards his kissing her deeply. She wrapped an arm over his chest and placed her head in the nook of his shoulder and neck. He traced invisible patters on her forearm until her breathing evened out, and she had fallen asleep. Eric buried his face into her hair inhaling deeply. Memorizing her scent, before he closed his eyes and fell into a haze of sleep.


	6. Surfacing

Tris woke up in the morning and felt warm arms encasing her body. She inhaled deeply and sighed with relief at how relaxed she was. Her gaze fell on the sleeping body next her. Eric looked so much younger while he slept. All the hard persona was wiped clear and he actually looked his age. She thought back to when she was an initiate and remembered thinking that he was the coldest man she had ever met. It had only been after working together she was able to see his real personality. She had realized that he was extremely hard on the initiates so they would end up being strong, fearless soldiers.

Tris shifted her position and draped her leg over his high, and lightly lifted his arm off of her so she could partially free herself. She lifted the sheet off of them and started to lower herself down his body until she was next to his already firm morning wood. She looked up at him and he was still sleeping. She kissed her way up his length and licked his tip and he twitched lightly beneath her. She took his tip into her mouth and swirled her tongue as he became harder and he let out a heavy breath. She worked her way farther down his length and closed her mouth around him. She felt a hand lightly at the back of her neck and she looked up to meet his still sleep hazy eyes.

“Fuck Tris…I’ve dreamed of you doing this…” Eric gasped out.

She started to move her mouth up and down stopping at the tip each time to swirl her tongue. Eric was moaning and had his head thrown back and eyes closed. When he started to tighten his hand in her hair she started to make her way back up his body, kissing her way up to his chest, along his neck and to his mouth. He took her lips roughly while she straddled his lap and slowing started to lower herself on to him. She sat up and slowly started to move her hips as his hands worked their way to her breasts and down to hips. Tris had never taken control and she loved every second of it. She loved that she was in charge of the pace and whenever she lifted almost off him he whimpered. She was teasing him with her slow and leisurely pace. He sat up and wrapped his arms around her waist and gripped her shoulders from behind with his hands. He pulled her down harder on to him and she moaned loudly. She quickened her pace and soon her climax came as she bit down on his neck. He moaned at the pain and came deep into her. He laid them back down and he kissed her slowly.

“I’ve never been woken up that way,” Eric said to her.

“Well I’ve never woken anybody up like that,” she giggled. “Are you hungry?”

“Starving.”

“I’ll make you something,” she said getting out of the bed and throwing on his t-shirt from the night before. She made her way to her dresser and pulled out a pair of tiny shorts. “Do you think I should make enough for Jason and whoever he had in there with him?”

“She probably isn’t even here anymore,” the both laughed.

She made a quick fruit salad, sausage patties and eggs and called Eric to the kitchen. She poured him a coffee and set his plate down. Before he sat down he grabbed her face in both hands and kissed her.

“Looks great Stiff,” he smirked at her.

“Are you always gonna call me that?” she asked.

“Probably,” she chuckled at his response. “I think after we eat we should go through all the weapons one time before tomorrow.”

“Okay. What time do I need to be up and ready by tomorrow?”

“We need to make our way to the Pit at 11am. The entire faction will be there and from there we will head to the course that’s been set up for you. I can’t tell you where it will take place or what the course actually consists of. I do have a surprise for you though,” he told her with a mischievous grin.

“A surprise?” she asked with raised eyebrows.

“Yep, more like a fact I withheld so that it can be a surprise. You will see at the end of the course. Don’t ask me because I will not tell you,” he grinned as she made a pouty face at him.

After they had both showered they made their way down to the training room. Eric took out an array of weapons while Tris set up multiple targets throughout the room. He made her shoot each target ten times dead center, and the knives that she threw had to hit every major artery on a body. After they had gone through every weapon, they decided that they should go for a run. They ran around the outside of the complex a couple of times until it was time for dinner. They made their way to the Pit and grabbed some food and sat at their normal table.

“Tris I am so excited to see your course tomorrow,” Christina squealed.

“I can’t wait either. I’m a little nervous though. I still don’t really know anything about it beside the weapons I know I will be using. Are we still all going to get together for dinner tomorrow after?” Tris asked.

“Yeah, Zeke and Uriah said we can do it at their place. We have everything taken care of so all you need to do is show up looking cute,” Christina winked at her.

“Chris please tell me this will not be huge thing,” Tris pleaded. Christina gave her an evil smile.

“Stiff let’s get going. You need a good night rest,” Eric said winking at her.

As they were making their way around the table Eric shocked her by taking her hand in his. She looked at him with wide eyes and he gave her hand a squeeze. She smiled at him and blushed. She hadn’t noticed everyone around them had gone silent and were staring at them until Christina broke the silence.

“Pay up Lynn. I fucking told you so,” Christina yelled down the table, which made Tris blush even more.

“Oh God,” she groaned while Eric chuckled at her and they continued walking. There were more eyes on them as they made their way through the corridors.

“Well I had to,” he defended himself. “After all these men see you tomorrow, they would have been lining up to have a chance. I’m sure this,” he holds their entwined hands up,

“will make it all the way around by tomorrow, and they will all know that you’re taken.”

“Is that what I am huh, taken?” she smiled at him.

“Unless that’s not what you want,” he told her looking her in the eyes. She smiled at him and stopped walking. She stood on her tip toes and pressed her lips to his.

“That is exactly what I want,” she whispered and kissed him again. She pulled back and he bent his head down to rest their foreheads together. “Let’s go home.”


	7. Ready Steady

Tris and Eric woke up the next day and moved silently through the apartment. He could tell that she was nervous about her course. He made her some eggs, toast and coffee and made sure she ate it all. She took a shower and put on her outfit used in combat. She put her hair up into a tight ponytail and looked at herself in the mirror. Eric came up behind her and placed his hands on her shoulders.

“You will do great. Remember why we trained so hard, just because your timed is no reason to be sloppy. Don’t forget to breath and steady yourself,” he said to her. “Ready?”

She turned around in his arms and put her head to his chest and wrapped him in a hug. He leaned down and kissed her hair and squeezed her tight.

“I’m ready. Thank you Eric,” she looked up and smiled at him. He leaned and put a sweet soft kiss to her lips.

They made their way hand in hand to the Pit and she could hear all the commotion. She had never heard the entire faction gathered together in one place before. They rounded the corner and she stopped for a moment to take a deep breath. Eric faced her and nodded. The broke their hands apart and Eric opened the door the Pit for her while she walked through standing tall, shoulders back. Eric took his place beside her and walked with his hands behind his back. The moment they entered the Pit she heard the cheers and the fists pounding on the tables. Eric lead the way through the middle of the tables and she caught sight of her friends who were on their feet shouting for her. Eric stopped in the middle of the Pit and looked up to the podium carved into the rock. Max, Harrison and Bernie were standing there and Max called for silence. She noticed then that there were large screens covering the walls in different spots.

“Dauntless members, we are here to witness Tris Prior come one step closer to assuming a Leadership position. Already she has proven herself to be brave, cunning and loyal and today she will prove that she has a skill and mastery of weapons used in combat,” he stopped and the crowd cheered. “Tris, I am now going to give you instructions for the course. Eric will accompany you by train to the location. There are five tasks to complete. At the beginning of each task you will find a weapon and instructions for the task at hand. Your time will start the moment you jump from the train. Aim straight and good luck,” Max finished.

Eric put his hand on the small of her back and started to lead her through the once again screaming crowd and out the door to main entrance. Once the Pit door closed behind them she let out a breath she didn’t know she had been holding.

“Breathe,” Eric reminded her. “The cameras are set up on the train and will follow you through the course. You are going to do great. When we get on the train try and relax. The building you will enter will be clearly marked for you to see in time to make the jump.”

She nodded at him and they made their way to the tracks. Once they were aboard the train she took deep breaths and remember to steady herself. You’ve practiced with these weapons a hundred times and Eric knows you’ll do well, she told herself. She made her way to open car door and looked back and gave him a smile and wink. He chuckled behind her. When she looked out she saw a curve ahead and spotted a rooftop with the Dauntless logo painted to it. She took a few steps and another deep breath while shaking the nerves out of her hands. The bend came she before she could think about it she was jumping. Her feet landed on the roof and she stumbled a little but righted herself quickly. Her time had begun so she searched the rooftop and saw a sniper rifle set up on a ledge. She ran over and picked up card that laid there.

TASK ONE-USE WEAPON TO TAKE OUT TARGETS LOCATED BELOW. TOTAL OF 5. FOLLOW EXIT SIGN TO NEXT TASK.

She quickly picked up the gun the positioned it on the ledge of the roof, she then brought her eye to the scope and began to scan the street below. She quickly spotted and nailed four of the five and had to spend a few moments searching for the fifth target. When she found it hid between a set of dumpsters, the only part visible was the right shoulder and ribcage. She hit where the right lung would be located. She placed the gun down and located the exit sign and sprinted to the door and found herself in a stairwell and quickly made her way down to the next floor. She spotted a table that held twelve knives of all different sizes. She placed all the knives into the spots on her vest and picked up the card.

TASK TWO-USE WEAPONS TO HIT ALL TARGETS THAT POP UP. TARGETS WILL ONLY STAY STATIONARY FOR 7 SECONDS AND WILL APPEAR AT RANDOM. TOTAL OF 10 TARGETS. ENTER HALLYWAY. FOLLOW STAIRS TO NEXT TASK.

Tris opened the stairwell door and stepped into the hallway. It was a long corridor that had doors on each side. She took four knives in her hand and took a deep breath. The first target popped through the door in the middle of hall and she let her first knife sail and sunk deep into the bullseye. She quickly readied herself with another knife. She targets appeared and she nailed everyone and quickly made her way back to the stairs and headed down. At the next level there was an assault rifle leaned up against the wall. The flung the strap across herself and read the next card.

TASK THREE-USE WEAPON TO CLEAR THE APARTMENT ACROSS THE HALL. 3 SUSPECTS. FOLLOW STAIRS TO NEXT TASK.

She entered the hallway and took a deep breath. She opened the apartment and swung the door with force in case there was a target hidden behind it. The room she entered had a couch, chair and large bookcase. The kitchen was off the right and a closed door to her left. She made her way to the center of the room and scanned and noticed by the bookcase the tip of rifle pointed towards her. She threw herself into a roll as the gun went off and a paint ball splattered against the wall. She aimed and struck the target and quickly got up from the floor. She looked towards the hallway and held her rifle in position. There was a closed door on the right and light spilled through the door on the left. She entered the open door and the room held a bed and had a closet. She started to make her way to the closet when she heard paint splatter the doorframe where she had just been standing. The turned quickly and shot the target twice. She went back to the door frame and saw the closed door across from her. She made a last minute decision and kneeled on the floor before opening the door to reveal a bathroom with a shower curtain drawn closed. Again she could see the tip of a rifle sticking out through the curtain and before the paintballs could be sent she shot through the curtain twice and heard the target fall. She stood and ran back through the apartment setting the gun down against the wall and made her way down the stairs. She spotted a card and no weapons.

TASK FOUR-ENTER ROOM, ASSEMBLE WEAPON AND LOAD THE CLIPS. UPON ENTERING THE ROOM YOU WILL HAVE 1 MINUTE 45 SECONDS BEFORE THE TARGETS BEGIN TO MOVE. HIT EACH BULLSEYE ON TARGETS TO MOVE ON. TOTAL OF 7 TARGETS. FOLLOW STAIRS TO FINAL TASK.

She pushed the door open and found herself in a room that had tracks running in different locations. She spotted the table that held the disassembled hand gun, empty clips and box of ammunition. She walked up to it took a deep breath and began. She quickly had the gun assembled and moved on to loading the clips putting them in the proper spot on her vest and loading the final one into the gun. She aimed the gun towards the tracks of the empty room and waited for the targets to start moving. She didn’t wait more than a few seconds before the first target moved along the track at a leisurely pace. She nailed the target and it stopped moving. With each target that passed they grew in speed. She loaded a fresh clip and took out the remaining two targets. They were moving so fast she had to shoot at them both twice before she landed the bullseyes. She put the gun down and headed back to the stairwell and down. When she reached the ground floor she saw the same gun they used for capture the flag with the nuero sim bullets. She slung the gun over her shoulder and picked up the last card.

TASK FIVE-ONE TARGET IN NEXT ROOM. SHOOT TO WOUND. NEEDED FOR INFORMATION. WHEN COMPLETE EXIT DOORS ON OPPISITE END TO STOP YOUR TIME.

Nuero sim bullets meant that she would be shooting at a live person. She entered the room and saw turned over tables, chairs, bookcases and some large blocks of concrete scattered through the room. Whoever she was looking for would be a little hard to find. As she made her way to the first over turned table a shot fired from across the room missing her shoulder by a few inches. She threw herself towards the nearest cover. She peaked over and saw someone running to a new table. She took a deep breath and decided to move to a table closer to her target. Her target shot at her twice more missing and she ducked by the nearest table. She had read that to get the advantage in a situation like this the key was higher ground. She glanced around and noticed that there was a very tall bookshelf with a couple a chairs stacked behind it. She peeked back over and did not see her target so she crept quietly towards the tall case. She stood on the chairs and pulled herself to look over the top. She noticed that her target had made his way to the table that she had been previously hiding behind. He had not noticed that she had moved. She took her aim and fired and hit him in his shoulder causing him to drop his gun. She quickly aimed again and hit him the thigh. He went down cursing and grabbing his thigh. She quickly made her way to the exit at the opposite end of the room and ran through it. Sunlight hit her face and she threw her hands up to keep it out of her eyes. She let out a deep breath and set the gun down. She heard a clapping coming from a few feet away and turned and saw Eric.

“Very well done Stiff,” he said proudly while giving her a wide smile. She smiled back and moved towards him. “Come on we have to catch the train back.” They walked side by side until they reached the tracks.

“Are the cameras still following us now?” she asked.

“Nope. They are off now. The screens in the Pit will not have a list of every Dauntless leader from the dawn of the factions with their times posted next to the name. When we arrive they will post your time amongst them,” he told her.

“What place are you?”

“You’ll just have to wait to see,” he said taking a step towards her. He leaned down and gave her a sweet but passionate kiss. When he pulled away he took her hand and they waited together for the train. They heard it approaching and took off running. Once they were situated on the train the embraced each other in a hug. Tris closed her eyes until Eric told her to get ready to jump. They landed on the roof of Dauntless and made their way to the ledge to jump. Eric went first and Tris gave him a minute to get off the net before she flung herself off, giggling the way down. He helped her off the net and put her on her feet.

“Ready to be the center of attention?” he asked her.

“Not at all,” she groaned.

“Well I promise that my surprise will make up for it,” he whispered in her ear,

“Oh yeah I was so focused that I forgot. Where is it?” she pleaded.

“You will see in just a moment,” he said and interlaced their hands and lead her towards the doors to the Pit. She could her a thousand different conversations going on behind the doors. Eric stopped at the door gave her a wink and threw the door open causing it to bang loudly. She entered the room and everyone went silent until they all suddenly erupted into cheers and congratulations. The noise was deafening but it had her grinning from ear to ear. She glanced at Eric and he was clapping along with everyone else. He led her through the crowd and to an open space in the middle that faced the podium. She looked up and saw the elder three leaders clapping and smiling at her. Max held up his hands and the room silenced once more.

“Congratulations Tris, you have done very well. So well in fact that you finished the course faster than any other female leader in history,” he said and the crowd cheered. She smiled wide and looked up at the screens. She quickly noticed that Max had the third best time on the list and Eric had the seventh. The only feminine name she saw placed in the top twenty. “It’s time to see your final time and ranking,” Max said. The moment he finished she noticed the spots rearrange and her named appeared in the ninth place on the board. She inhaled sharply realizing she made it into the top ten overall scores and she laughed. She looked over to Eric who was beaming at her and clapping along with the rest of the faction. She turned around and saw her friends at their table all shouting and they had huge smiles on their faces.

“You ready for your surprise Tris?” Eric asked and she nodded yes automatically. He grabbed her shoulders and spun her around towards the far end of the lined tables.

Standing out among all the black and red of the Dauntless members were two figures clad in gray and smiling at her while politely clapping. She was moving towards them without realizing it. She had tears well up in her eyes as she approached them.

“Hi mom. Hi dad.”


	8. Surprises

“Hi mom. Hi dad.”

“Hello sweetheart,” her mother said enveloping Tris in her arms. “You did a wonderful job.” Tris hugged her mother tightly and pulled back to look her in the eye. She turned towards her father and he gave tight squeeze.

“Hello Beatrice. You looked so strong out there. Very well done.”

“What are you guys doing here?” Tris asked while she hugged her father.

“Well the family is always invited to watch the accomplishment. It’s an extended courtesy. That young leader thought it would be a nice surprise for you,” her father answered. Tris glanced over her shoulder and saw Eric standing a few feet away with Max. He motioned with her hand for them to come over.

“Dad, of course you know Max and Eric already. Mom this is Eric and this is Max. This is my mother Nathalie,” Tris said.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you Nathalie,” Eric said extending his hand. Her mother gave him a warm smile. “You should be very proud today.”

“I am indeed very proud and it is a pleasure to meet you.” She turned and faced Max and gave him a wide smile. “Maximus it is so good to see you again. It has been a very long time,” she said while hugging him.

“Too long Nath. I think since before you gave birth to your son,” Max said pulling back from her smiling, her mother laughing.

“How do you two know each other?” Eric asked.

“Oh, Nathalie was born here in Dauntless,” Tris’ father answered. Eric understood how Tris could never have truly been Abnegation. He knew that her father was an Erudite transfer. “Beatrice? Why is the man that you cohabitate with kissing another woman right now?” he asked. Tris was confused by the question because Eric was standing right next to her, but she followed her father’s gaze over her shoulder and turned to see Four with Lizette. Four had met both her parents at visiting day last year. She let out a sigh.

“Four and I are no longer together. I don’t live with him anymore,” she told her parents. Max and Eric both pressed their lips together. “I caught him having an affair with her and I never went back. Actually Eric is my new roommate. I moved into the second room in his apartment right after.” Her fathers eyed had hardened after hearing about the affair. She didn’t really know what to tell her parents about Eric. She looked forward to that conversation with him about it.

“Mmm…well thank you Eric for being a good friend to my daughter,” he father said nodding at Eric.

Her mother frowned but quickly tried to defuse the situation.

“Sweetheart, this is your day and I would love to meet your friends. Shall we go have some cake?” he mother asked with a smile.

“That would be great mom. Dad, have you ever had Dauntless cake before?”

“No I have not, but your mother has described it for me. I would love to sit and have cake with you and your new family here.”

The five of them started to make their way over to the table where all her friends had gathered. She noticed that there were empty seats in middle of the table on both sides. The table was covered with the best foods, drinks and cake Dauntless had to offer. She went around and introduced her friends one by one to her parents. Her mother shook hands with them all but when she got to Christina she gave her a very long hug. Tris had told her mother about Christina every year at visiting day. They sat and Tris asked about how their lives at home were going. Her father’s eyes went wide when he finally tried the cake. Tris quickly plopped her large piece down on his plate and winked at him. Her mother was making polite conversation with Zeke and Uriah.

“Zeke, what do you do hear in the compound?” her mother asked.

“I work in the control most of the time, but I have a part in the second phase of initiation,” he told her smiling.

“So you work with Four?” her father asked.

“Yes sir, but I haven’t spoken to him for a while now, well besides the occasional work related topics. Not since he and Tris split up,” Zeke stated. Tris smiled down the table to Zeke.

“I am so happy to see that Tris has a wonderful new life here and a new family,” he father said.

“Dad, you just called me Tris,” she said with tears in her eyes. “Thank you for both coming today.”

The rest of the meal carried on with discussion and laughter. Her parents seemed to ask more and more questions about the rest of training and had asked how long until she was able to get her tattoos. Max answered and all their questions and then he and Nathalie reminisced about their childhood. They even told Zeke and Uriah a funny story about their mother. All too soon it was time for her parents to depart. Tris and Eric walked them to the car that awaited to take them home. They assured her that they would see her on visiting day the next year. She hugged them tightly and watched them drive away. She turned around and found that Eric was still waiting but hanging back so she had her private goodbye. He smiled at her and she took off running at him, jumping on him and planting a kisses all over his face.

“Best surprise ever! Thank you so much Eric!” He had his arms wrapped tightly around her waist.

“I thought that you might like that,” he said as he kissed her behind her ear. “Ready to go and relax before we go to dinner tonight?” he asked with a smirk.

“Yes, but please tell me Chris is not coming over to torture me again?” she asked with begging eyes.

“Nope, not tonight,” he said which earned him another kiss. “You did so well today. No nerves at all.”

“I just remembered to breathe,” she said to him. “I did get nervous when it took so long to find the fifth target on the first task,” he chuckled at her.

“I had the same problem,” he told her. “It was such a turn on to watch you today.”

“A turn on? Running around sweating and shooting?” she asked not believing him.

“You were so strong and calm it showed more of your true bravery,” he told her as he locked eyes with her.

They walked to the apartment door and Eric pulled out his key and let her enter first. Sitting on the kitchen table was a small gift box with a bow on top. She smiled over her shoulder at Eric. She walked to the table and picked up the box. She lightly shook it heard a small rattle. He was smiling at her and walked to stand near her. She slowly opened the box and let out a gasp when she saw the gift. It was silver necklace that had a silver pendent in the shape of Dauntless flames. Etched into the flames was a ladder of the leadership rungs. She ran the cool metal between her fingers and her smile spread from ear to ear.

“It’s beautiful Eric. Thank you,” she said locking eyes with him. She put the necklace down on the table and removed her vest and stripped off her top so she was left in just her tank top. She picked the necklace up and took it out of the box. She undid the clasp and handed it to Eric as she turned around so he could put it on her. Once he had the clasp together he placed a kiss over it and turned her around. It hit the perfect place between her clavicle bones. He leaned down and placed a kiss on her lips.

“Tris, I wanted to talk to you about us,” he told her.

“Good, I was thinking along the same lines,” she smiled at him. “Does this mean that you want to keep me?”

“Yes,” he said seriously as he looked deep into her eyes.

“Good,” she whispered pulling him into a passionate kiss. “I want to keep you too,” she breathed out. He claimed her mouth fiercely and pulled her tight to him. They were breathing hard and hands had started to wander just when the door opened and Jason walked in.

“Woah, sorry guys,” Jason said shutting the door behind him. He turned around and his eyes drifted to her waist. Eric had her shirt more than halfway up and the bottom part of her bra was peeking out. She blushed and quickly pulled her shirt down further. “I’ll just grab what I came and I’ll see you later,” he said and walked to Eric’s room and was quickly back and out the door chuckling at them.

“I’m gonna go take a shower,” Tris said. She turned to and stated down the hall taking her clothes off on the way. Eric growled deep in his throat. She was naked before the bathroom door and turned to look back at him. “Are you coming?” she asked him. She nodded and stripped himself on the way to the bathroom. He climbed in behind her and took his time exploring her body. He found it the sexiest thing in the world to see her naked wearing nothing but his gift. He placed a gentle kiss right on the pendent and moved his way up to her neck and then over to her mouth. He placed both hands on her checks leaned his forehead to rest against hers. They stood there staring at each other until the water started to run cool.


End file.
